Google Code
When the National Public Radio (NPR) network wanted to find a new way to reach out to their users online, they turned to a Google Desktop Gadget.
Google Desktop had already been a great traffic driver for NPR through the RSS news plug-in that provides news headlines in the Google Desktop Sidebar. "In a matter of a few months (from launch), Google Desktop quickly surged to account for half of our overall RSS volume," explains Bryan Moffett, a marketing analyst with NPR. "We felt a Gadget that extended the NPR experience and leveraged our core asset of audio might also find a loyal audience among Google Desktop users. "The 'background' experience of the always-on Google Desktop lent itself well to audio."
Since launching the Gadget, NPR has seen traffic from the Gadget increase fivefold. Not only is the gadget popular with large numbers of listeners (the gadget fuels several thousand user sessions per day), but it's also increasing in overall usage. While typical listening sessions last 30 or more minutes, with some lasting several hours, the average length of session — and number of audio segments delivered per session — has been steadily increasing. Such results suggest a growing loyalty among users, which is exactly the result that content syndicators such as NPR seek.
Moffett also reports that "The actual development of the Gadget was quick and easy, as it was inexpensive and only took a week or so of development. Overall, it's been a great experiment in extending our reach to new areas."
NPR's "Now Playing" Google Desktop Gadget: http://www.npr.org/gadget/googlegadget.html
Additional NPR Google Gadgets: http://www.google.com/ig/directory?hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&num=24&q=npr&btnG=Search+Homepage+Content
About Google Gadgets API
The Google Gadgets API is a simple way to create little applications that run on thousands of sites all over the web that use Google Gadgets for Your Webpage. Google provides free hosting, free bandwidth and an easy way to submit your gadgets to the official directory, where users from all around the world come to find them. Gadgets are so easy to write that you can create your first one in 5 minutes and even turn existing web content into a gadget. There is no special sign-up, and nothing to download. For more information visit http://www.google.com/apis/gadgets/
"In a matter of a few months, Google Desktop quickly surged to account for half our overall RSS volume."
Bryan Moffett
Marketing Analyst, NPR Digital Media